A past post took a
brief look at Islam, which identifies itself as a religion of peace. Their motto should be, “Join the Religion
of Peace, or I’ll Kill You.’ It may be
ironic, but it’s also true. Islamic
Jihad has been on a killing spree all the way back to Muhammad himself.
I know I’m
preaching to the choir on the subject of Islamic terrorism, so I tried to think
of a topic that is rarely mentioned, but a topic that may have a bearing on our
understanding of Islam’s ultimate objectives.
I may have found it in Muslim eschatology.
Eschatology
is just a fancy word that refers to end time theology, i.e. the final events in
human history. We have been inundated
with movies and books concerning Armageddon, the mark of the beast, the number
666, the tribulation and other aspects of biblical predictions concerning the
“end times.” It’s obviously a
fascinating subject.
The Muslim
religion has its own eschatology and what is amazing about their concept is
that it mirrors the Christian eschatology point by point. But the Muslim picture of the end times is
the exact opposite of the biblical prophesies.
If the
Koran is the word of Allah, it is the opposite of the Bible, which is the word
of the Judeo-Christian God. Jesus is not
Deity in the Koran, but simply a prophet and not a very pleasant one at
that. This information is from the Koran
and also the Sunna, which represents traditional teachings of the prophet
Muhammad. Like the Catholic Church,
where the bible and tradition combine, the Koran and Sunna combine to form
Muslim theology.
Many people
assume that Allah is the same God that Christians and Jews worship. Since Jesus plays a prominent role in the
Muslim religion, some even think that the Muslim “Jesus” and the Christian
Jesus are one and the same. Neither is true. This is the key point.
According
to the Koran, “Jesus” was only a man. He
wasn’t divine. He did not die, but was
taken alive up to Heaven where he stands next to Allah waiting to be sent back
to earth. Since he did not die and was
not raised from the dead this “Jesus” cannot atone for sin. In fact, his purpose in being sent back to earth
by Allah is to kill the Christians who have misunderstood who he is.
The Muslim “Jesus”
is a prophet – not God - and plays an important role in their eschatology. The
Muslim “Jesus” comes back, marries, has children, dies, and is buried next to
Muhammad. It’s not a role that fits the
Christian Jesus in any way. Again, the
Muslim “Jesus” is the opposite of the Christian Jesus. The true Jesus told us to love even our
enemies. The Muslim “Jesus” kills his
enemies, mainly Christians and all unbelievers, according to the Koran.
You may
remember that weird little psychopath who was president of Iran from 2005 to 2013 called Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad tried to start a war to speed up
the return of the 12th Imam.
The 12th Imam is the Mahdi who is the Muslim “savior” and
promises to return and bring a universal Islamic caliphate (a form of Islamic
government under Sharia law). This is
the end game for Islam.
According
to the Koran, the Mahdi (false Jesus) is a messianic figure and a descendent of
Mohamed who will conquer Israel,
killing all the Jews, and establish his rule in Jerusalem
on the Temple Mound. He will ride on a white horse and
his rule will last seven years. His army
will carry a black flag (note Iran’s
black flag) with one word – “Punishment.”
The return
of the 12th Imam - the Mahdi - is one of three men who represent the
three great signs for the end of history, according to the Koran. Remember from my last post that a caliphate is
the elimination of all infidels, i.e. Christians, Jews, non-converted Muslims,
Hindus, etc. All of these unbelievers will be slaughtered by the Mahdi or
Muslim “Jesus.”
The Christian redeemer is Muslim’s “anti-Christ.” The Muslim “redeemer” is Christian’s
anti-Christ.
I haven’t
even scratched the surface of the Muslim “end time” belief and only briefly focused
on the Mahdi. There is much more. I wish I had the space to really get into this
subject. I’m a novice on this topic, but I think that learning
what Muslim theology teaches about “the last days” can broaden our perspective
of world events, particularly Islamic radicalism, and provide a context for
where things are headed and, possibly, why.
As I said,
if you are aware of what the Bible says about the last days, Christ’s return,
the final battle, the anti-Christ, the false prophet and the entire plan, you
will find that Islam’s interpretation follows it point by point. The difference is that the Koran version is
the exact opposite of the biblical version.
It is a counterfeit designed to deceive . . . and it seems to work.
Excellent summary of that MacArthur Youtube clip that we discussed. It would make good sermon material as too many pew warmers are far to complacent. I suspect many in that faith are as ignorant of this escatology as those in our Christian churches are ignorant of biblical escatology..
ReplyDeleteNorth of 49
Thanks for your input. I would refer anyone interested to John MacArthur as an authority on this subject. I think an understanding of what these people believe about the future tells us a lot about what they are doing in the present.
DeleteRalph you have hit a sore nail on the head. The need of the general population to seek disconnection from the reality of current events is becoming a frightening level. I recently answered a friend who was rightfully becoming incensed about the problem of Sharia law. Here's what I said: (Hi Jinny. You're right, we all need to be aware that the Koran is not the peaceful text that moderates would have us believe. And there are well meaning Muslim moderates that are inadvertently making it difficult to see what's really going on in countries like France and other super-liberal countries. There are areas in these countries where Sharia law is in force and the local laws are ignored. There are muslims in parts of Michigan who are trying to do the same in the name of religion.
ReplyDeleteHowever I am careful how I post because our increasingly liberal approach is basically, "Don't confront me with controversy because all I want is to live peacefully, without thinking about geopolitics or even who is running the country--just do it and leave me alone."). So thanks for the further education and let's hope the coming awakening is our side, because the other effect is jihad accomplished without any resistance.
Excellent comment, Malcolm. You touched on several key points. Freedom requires "eternal vigilance," but too many don't want to be confronted by reality. You remember by previous post where I described how the mice confined in a cage with a snake went on with their lives until they were eaten by the snake. If we ignore the problem, it will go away. I agree with everything you said. Unfortunately too many people are like children, pulling the blanket over their heads to hide from reality.
DeleteGood post Ralph. I agree with every thing you said.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that the mad scramble for banning of guns is just one more step toward rendering the public incapable of defending itself when the inevitable arrives.
Bob - You nailed it. We have to be disarmed. Things are moving real fast and we can see the massive changes globally and in real time. I worry about our kids and grandkids.
DeleteI just want to add that people in Europe are very scared, but their passiveness, politically correct attitudes, and open immigration policies put them in this position. There's a mentality prevalent in the U.S., particularly the middle of the country, that won't tolerate a Muslim takeover. In addition, we have guns...at least so far.
DeleteWell…you finally out-did yourself Higgins. Your “A Great Counterfeit” hit just about every nail that had a head on it that needs to be ‘whacked’! I really hope that the American people can waken from their political stupor and take the common-sense steps that need to be made to thwart this impending menace this country is facing today. There will be ‘blood-in-the-streets’ if and when the responsible citizens of this country realize that we are being sold-down-the-river by certain politicians, (that shall remain nameless here), due to the increasing scrutiny of the Internet, which is destroying our Constitutional Rights.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work Ralph…if I could be anybody else besides me, I’d want to be you…as long as your brain and insight came along with the package.
Thanks for the compliment and the insight. I don't see much hope for a positive change when more than half the country is blatantly ignorant and demographic changes add numbers to this group of sheep.
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